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January 19, 2019

Neighborhood Stores

Neighborhood Stores – Bangalore, India

Yesterday, I featured wide-angle Cinematics that I shot on my 30 minute ride from the KR Market to Malleshwaram. I was told this is a another popular shopping district in Bangalore, though it has a more neighborhood feel compared to the imposing central Market. We parked by the side while we waited for Sahana, a friend of Pabish, who generously offered to model for us.

When you are in an unfamiliar place, even mundane activities such as waiting in the car, become interesting. I watched as I saw hundreds of people pass through this busy shopping area brimming with stores but with seemingly equal retail transactions on the street. As a result, I saw layers of activities that was fascinating to watch as well as photograph.

This little scene caught my eye as I edited my massive India photo library. We see street vendors in the foreground, mostly hidden by the fence. Three female customers transacting. Further back, on the left, a family with two children with an apparently frustrated boy. Finally, we have a wonderful texture of stores in the background, packed tight, each with its distinct look. It’s bright, colorful, worn-out, grungy and very much real.

I’m sure there are tens of thousands of these kind of scenes happening throughout India at any given moment. But for someone like me, mostly use to rather visually and socially sparse U.S. suburbs, these kinds of interactions are photographic gold.

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